Suozzi Concedes in Race for Nassau Executive

By ANGELA MACROPOULOS

Published: December 2, 2009

Thomas R. Suozzi conceded defeat on Tuesday in the race for the Nassau County executive, a setback for Mr. Suozzi, the Democratic incumbent, who had been widely regarded as a potential candidate for higher office.

He acknowledged his loss after a recount of the votes cast last month showed that his Republican challenger, Edward P. Mangano, a county legislator, had a 386-vote lead. Mr. Suozzi, speaking to reporters at a news conference, said he believed it was ''mathematically
impossible to win. I didn't think it was fair to the public, my team or Mr. Mangano, and I didn't think it was realistic.''

Mr. Suozzi attributed his loss to voters' anger over consistently high property taxes, an issue that resonated in other races in the region where incumbents lost.

Mr. Suozzi's surprising victory in 2001 against the Republican Party machine helped make him an up-and-coming leader of the state's Democratic Party. But his aspirations to higher office have not panned out.

Mr. Suozzi lost to Eliot Spitzer in the Democratic primary for governor in 2006 and was one of the candidates interviewed by Gov. David A. Paterson for the Senate seat that was ultimately filled by Kirsten E. Gillibrand.